Tag: powerlifting

We Lift Things Up and Put Them Down (Part 2): EXAIR’s E-Vac Vacuum Generators

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

A few months ago, I wrote here on the EXAIR Blog about my wife and I competing in our very first powerlifting competition. It’s a long and tiring process training for months for one single day, but to see all of your hard work payoff on the platform come competition day makes it all worth it. After competing on Saturday, we were both back in the gym the following Monday morning getting ready for the next one. Memorial Day weekend we participated in the Rivercity Barbell MAYhem meet in Northern Kentucky, another trophy for my wife, and another 2nd place medal for me. I’m beginning to see a trend here…. The entire day didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I was pleased with a strong finish: a 500lb deadlift on my 3rd attempt to end the day. Exactly what I had in mind on the drive home in early January after our first meet.

After a full, long day of lifting stuff up and putting it back down, I was definitely ready to hit the bed right upon getting home. I could’ve saved myself quite a bit of energy and exhaustion by using one of EXAIR’s E-Vac Vacuum Generators. Although I’m fairly certain that would end in a quick disqualification…  

EXAIR’s E-Vacs are designed to take the difficult part out of lifting, placing, clamping, and mounting across a wide variety of parts and materials. EXAIR offers two primary styles of E-Vacs to serve your needs: In-Line E-Vacs & our Adjustable E-Vacs

The In-Line E-Vacs are a single stage, cylindrical units that are compact and easy to mount right at the point of use. They can be held in place by threading directly onto a compressed air line, or by the use of a mounting clip. We offer styles for use with porous materials, such as paper or cardboard, with vacuum levels up to 21” Hg and vacuum flows up to 18.5 SCFM. For non-porous materials, such as glass, we offer units with vacuum levels up to 27” Hg and with vacuum flows up to 15.8 SCFM.

Adjustable E-Vac

For applications that may have varying weights and sizes, we offer a line of Adjustable E-Vacs as well. With the simple loosening of a locknut and turning the exhaust, you can increase and decrease both the level of vacuum and the vacuum flow. This style is also an excellent choice for applications where large particulate may be present and can pass through the vacuum. We offer (4) different models with adjustable vacuum up to 25” Hg and vacuum flows up to 81 SCFM.

No matter what it is you’re trying to pick up, EXAIR has an E-Vac suited to the task. For help in sizing the appropriate vacuum generator for your application, feel free to give us a call. Hopefully by then I’ve figured out how to win one of these competitions, and I’m sure I’ll have a trophy case full of ‘em for my wife.

Tyler Daniel

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

We Lift Things Up and Put Them Down: EXAIR’s E-Vac Vacuum Generators

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment
Myself, my wife, and our coach/father-in-law

2020 certainly had its ups and downs. During a tumultuous year there wasn’t a whole lot of positivity to be found, but it wasn’t all “doom and gloom”. In the midst of the worldwide shutdown, my wife and I both took some of the extra time we had to focus on ourselves. Getting antsy with all of the time sitting at home, we decided to embark on a new fitness journey that would really push us to our limit. What started as just focusing on improving our health, quickly became a new passion. Just this past weekend we both competed in our first powerlifting meet. It was great to validate all of our hard work we’ve put in. My wife brought home the 1st place trophy for her weight class while I took 2nd in mine. I’m sure I’ll never live that down… All in all it was a great way to kick off the new year.

Here at EXAIR, we offer a whole line of products designed specifically to lift stuff up and put it down. EXAIR’s In-Line and Adjustable E-Vacs are a powerful compressed air powered vacuum generator. They’re a low-cost way to create a vacuum for a variety of different applications: pick and place, clamping, chucking, lifting, surface mounting, and vacuum forming are just some of the possibilities. Both the In-Line and Adjustable E-Vacs are available in a variety of different sizes and flows and can accommodate a wide range of applications.

In addition to the vacuum generators themselves, EXAIR offers a variety of different accessories to help you build a complete system. To minimize the sound level and ensure you’re adhering to OSHA 1910.95, we have Standard Mufflers as well a Straight Through Mufflers. The Straight Through Mufflers offer the best level of sound reduction, up to 26 dBA!!

With no moving parts to wear out, EXAIR’s E-Vacs are virtually maintenance free when supplied with clean, dry compressed air. To maintain proper operation of your E-Vac, installation of an Automatic Drain Filter will remove any particulate and moisture from the air supply. In addition, oil removal filters are also available if your compressed air supply contains any oil as is common in many compressed air systems.

For pick and place or lifting applications, vacuum cups will be necessary. With a wide variety of different vacuum cups available: Small Round, Large Round, Oval, and Bellows, we can accommodate nearly any size or shape material. For heavier materials, round cups with cleats provide rigidity and ensure that the load remains stable. For applications on textured or uneven surfaces, Bellows style cups have convolutions that allow for the cup to quickly decompress when it touches the surface of an uneven part or material.

The vacuum port of the E-Vac has an NPT thread, vacuum cups can be installed directly in this inlet. For applications where the vacuum cup(s) are remotely located, we offer polyurethane vacuum tubing as well as a variety of different fittings to connect them. Both 1/4” and 3/8” O.D. sizes are available in 10’ lengths up to 50’. Simply indicate the model number of the tubing and add the length with a “-“ at the suffix. In addition to fittings and tubing, vacuum check valves are also available. These can be beneficial if there is potential for fluctuations in the compressed air pressure or supply. In the event that there is a significant drop in pressure or loss of compressed air supply, the check valve will ensure that the load remains stable.

With all of the different options making a selection can seem like a daunting task. If you’re struggling to determine the most suitable E-Vac and Accessories for your application, give an Application Engineer a call today!

Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD